Mites, what do I do?

[elmo]

Quote:
Sorry, but I don't think a plain water bath is going to do a thing about your mite problem. Red mites don't typically stay on the bird during the day.

Try this:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

I haven't seen mites ...yet, but I try to be proactive. I change the bedding in nestboxes weekly and put down a good layer of poultry dust before I put in fresh bedding. I change out roosts frequently, too, and spray the roosts with Adams Flea and Tick spray.

 

[cheeps]

Yes, I forgot about the Diaomaceous Earth...it is ideal, but for folks like me that live out in the boonies, it's impossible to get...and I don't have the money to pay $30 to have some shipped to me. So we just make do with the Sevin and it's just fine.

Don't let people scare you away from Sevin. Sevin is NOT harmful to pets, I guess some people have had a problem but we used it on our cats and dogs all my life (for fleas and ticks) without a single problem. I would say to the person whose cats had a reaction that all pets react differently to everything (and we're talking about birds, not cats). My cat almost died when we put frontline on him. But that doesn't mean no one should use frontline or does it mean I tell people not to use it. So yeah, Diaomaceous Earth is great, but Sevin is your cheapest and (for most folks) the most readily available option, which is why I mentioned it. IMHO.

 

[BlueEggs4Life]

whenever dealing with "pests" in the chicken yard I love DE (Diatomaceous Earth) - food grade. Even works on cats/dogs etc... great pesticide free remedy. Google it - lots of info out there. Good luck!

 

[doriann]

I just joined to get some info on an awful predator we have had for 2 mornings now. But I have had some experience with mites too

I use Seven and DE. Depends how bad. I brought home some pullets one time and they were covered as was I! Ick, I held them upside down and sprinkled seven under their wings and on their backs, they were fine in the morning mite free. I keep my runs and coop sprinkled with DE and it seems to keep things fine in the mean time.
Dori Ann

 

[elmo]

I think that people recommend DE for mite deterrence, but not for treatment. If a chicken or particularly a chick gets infested by enough mites, they can die. Mites can be pretty awful.

If you see mites on your birds or around your coop, I'd use something stronger than DE to get rid of your problem (retreating as recommended in that link above). Once you've gotten rid of the buggers, you could go back to using DE to try to deter them.

 

[Bridget399]

Quote:
I SWEAR by this!!! WORKS LIKE A CHARM!!!

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

Is that the same thing as used for dogs and cats?

 

[Bridget399]

Quote:
Yes but you have to tell your vet that it's for chickens so that you can get the right dosage. This type comes in a bottle, too. I really do swear by the frontline!

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Quote:
Seems like finding DE in North Carolina is almost impossible. The places that do have it wanted $70.00 to $80.00 for a 50lb bag. There is no way I was paying that for it when I see it in most other places for $25.00 per bag. I stumbled across a company in Virginia called Countryside Natural Products, Inc that has it for a reasonable price and the shipping isn't bad either. I paid $25.00 for the DE and $16.30 for shipping for a grand total of $41.30. The bag was shipped in a large cardboard box and shipped UPS. I ordered it last Saturday night online and it arrived this morning.

http://www.countrysidenatural.com/home.php?cat=38

 

[cheeps]

Quote:
Seems like finding DE in North Carolina is almost impossible. The places that do have it wanted $70.00 to $80.00 for a 50lb bag. There is no way I was paying that for it when I see it in most other places for $25.00 per bag. I stumbled across a company in Virginia called Countryside Natural Products, Inc that has it for a reasonable price and the shipping isn't bad either. I paid $25.00 for the DE and $16.30 for shipping for a grand total of $41.30. The bag was shipped in a large cardboard box and shipped UPS. I ordered it last Saturday night online and it arrived this morning.

http://www.countrysidenatural.com/home.php?cat=38

Great info! Still don't know if I can justify $40! But I usually do what I have to do for my critters. But that's still so much cheaper than everywhere else. My local feed store too wanted about $70 which is just crazy!